CAPE TOWN – Cricket South Africa (CSA) was plunged into further disarray on Tuesday as the country’s players' association repeated its call for the executive to step down and refused to co-operate with a proposed committee to reform the domestic game.
The South African Cricketers Association (SACA) is locked in a court battle with CSA over a proposal to expand the country’s domestic structure from six to 12 teams, saying it was not consulted.
After CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe was suspended over governance concerns last week and replaced in an acting capacity by Jacques Faul, it was announced the April 2019 decision to restructure was now under review.
CSA said it would appoint a committee, which would include SACA representatives, to establish the viability of the expansion.
"Although CSA has announced that SACA will be part of this committee we have yet to be formally contacted by CSA on this," SACA chief executive Tony Irish said in a statement.
"I confirm however that SACA will not participate in this committee until the existing restructure decision is formally withdrawn," Irish added.
"We also again re-iterate our call for the leadership of the CSA board to accept accountability for the position in which cricket has been placed. We repeat our call for that leadership to step down."
SACA says it is willing to open discussions with CSA’s new director of cricket Graeme Smith and former ICC CEO Dave Richardson who is acting as a consultant.
"It is important to emphasise that SACA wants to find solutions both to the financial challenges which cricket now faces and to what the domestic structure should be," Irish said.
"However, this time around the process needs to be done properly."